Duke's carriage came to a stop in front of the Castle. Theo gathered her bags and hopped down. She waved to Duke as he left, thanking him for the ride.
From the silence, Theo could tell the girls weren't awake yet. She kicked off her boots and headed deeper into the castle. A quick stop was made in the library. Theo stashed the girls' gifts, before continuing on to Alcina's office. She gently knocked three times before opening the door. Alcina still sat at her desk, her attention on the book as she wrote.
"It doesn't sound like anyone died while I was gone. But hey, good news! I got those items you asked for."
Alcina looked up. A dark eyebrow arched as she looked at the clock on her wall. It was barely four o'clock. Theodora had only been gone two hours. "That was quick, did you run to the village?"
"Nah, I got a ride with Duke." the redhead explained as she sat the bags on the floor beside the desk. She sat back down in the chair across from the desk.
Alcina placed the pen down and leaned over, looking at the four bags that Theo had given her. She took the first bag and placed it on the desk as she began looking through it. "Oh, he's back in town?"
"Yeah. He also knew my name?"
Alcina hummed. "Duke has an abundance of knowledge. None of us seem to know where he gets it from." Alcina stopped looking in the bag, looking over at Theo. She could tell she clearly wasn't thrilled about him knowing her name. "It doesn't bother you, does it?"
"No, as long as he doesn't spread it around. I'd like to keep it under the radar. If you know what I mean."
Alcina's temper flared for a moment. "Are you ashamed to be associated with us?"
Theo's eyes widened. That's not what she had said, at all. "What? No, it's nothing like that."
"Then what is it?" Alcina demanded. Golden eyes met mismatched as she stared the other woman down, waiting for an answer.
Theo sighed. She knew that she owed Alcina some form of an explanation at least. Yet, her past wasn't something she had ever discussed with anyone. She wanted to tell her, to trust her with all the information, but it wasn't something she could bring herself to. At least, not yet. Instead, she'd have to meet her in the middle and hope it would be sufficient for now.
"Well, as you know, I'm infected something different than you and the girls. My virus is a genetically altered form of the Progenitor virus. It's also known as the 'founder' virus." Alcina stared, waiting for her to go on. A slight ping of guilt struck her, seeing how uncomfortable Theodora had become. She didn't even want to make eye contact anymore. Instead, her eyes found an interesting scratch on the desk. "Long story short, the people who gave me the infection used me and my abilities for awful things. When I got the chance, I ran. As far as they know I'm dead. I'd like to keep it that way."
"I see." Alcina could tell that the other woman didn't want to go into any more details than necessary. She wouldn't push her for now. "I'll speak to him."
Her confession only raised more questions in Alcina's mind. Exactly what was the Progenitor virus? Where did she come from? What happened? Why would they assume she were dead? Alcina would have to wait and hope the answers would come to light over time. Until then, Theo would remain a mystery. A mystery that she didn't mind waiting to solve.
Finally looking at her, she gave a small grateful smile. "Thanks."
Wanting to put the uncomfortable situation behind them, Alcina finished checking the items. Satisfied that everything she had requested sat in the bags she turned her attention back to Theo. "Everything appears to be here. It looks like I can't throw you in the dungeon today." She joked.
"Al, you're more than welcome to take me to the dungeon anytime." Theo wiggled her eyebrows and gave a wink.
Alcina laughed and rolled her eyes playfully. The redhead's attempted flirting had become more and more obvious since she had arrived. Though, Alcina wasn't fully sure if Theo actually meant it or if it were just her bubbly personality. "Did you have any troubles in the village?"
Her mind flashed back to the men at the bar. She hoped that her warning had been enough to deter them from attacking. She opened her mouth, to tell Alcina, but changed her mind. She knew the older woman had a lot on her plate at the moment. Theo didn't want to add any more to that. She was hired to protect the Lady, and that she would do.
"Nah. I just told them who I was with and they handed them over." A rumble from Theo's stomach echoed in the room. Taking that as a sign, she stood up and stretched. "I'm gonna go get something to eat. Do you wanna take a break and join me?"
Alcina looked to the book in front of her. She still had a few hours before the others would arrive. For whatever reason, Miranda had decided to have the meeting at Castle Dimitrescu tonight. She knew she should take the chance for peace and quiet while she could. Especially since her 'siblings' would be arriving. Donna and Angie didn't cause much trouble. Mordeu was kind enough, however he tended to have a pungent smell indoors. The last time he had shown up, it had taken a week for the castle to air out. She didn't even want to think about Heisenberg or his pack that followed him like stray dogs.
"Yes. I could use a drink."
The pair occupied the now empty kitchen. Alcina leaned against the counter, wine glass in hand and watched as Theo dug around in the refrigerator. She pulled out a bowl of what Alcina guessed to be mixed berries and a sandwich. Theo hopped up onto the island across from her and popped one of them into her mouth.
"Have the cooks been sufficient in finding food you like?"
"Oh yeah." Theo took a bite of her sandwich. "They make things I never even thought possible. It's wonderful."
"I'm glad."
"Theooo." Cassandra's voice called out.
"Oh Theooo!" Daniela echoed.
"Huh," Theo took the final bite of her sandwich as she looked up at the time. The old clock that hung above the stove read 5:07. "I wondered when they were gonna wake up."
Cassandra swarmed in a second later. She pointed triumphantly. "Ah ha! There you are!"
"Here I am." Theo held out her arms out dramatically.
Daniela formed next to her sister. A feral grin on her face. Theo could tell she was ready to pounce. "We've been looking for you."
"Oh yeah?"
Alcina chuckled. The girls looked over to her, just seeming to realize she was even in the kitchen. "Oh, hello Mother."
"Hello my Sweets."
The girls straightened up some, returning their attention to the redhead. Daniela stepped forward. "You said you'd play a game with us."
"Did I?" Theo put a hand on her chin, as if trying to remember the information. Like a cat waiting for her prey, Daniela took this as her opportunity to pounce. She dove around the island at the redhead. Effortlessly, Theo jumped back onto the island itself, catching Daniela by the back of her cape. The girl hung in the air, with her arms crossed and a pout on her features.
"That's not fair."
"Life's not fair, kid."
Alcina smiled into her glass and chuckled. She was glad the girls had taken so well to Theodora. If they hadn't, it would have made thing a lot more complicated. Although she wouldn't admit it out loud, it also made dealing with her duties a lot easier. Prior to Theodora, the girls didn't have anyone to interact with except Alcina herself. It made work more difficult, infinitely more tiring, but she would do it every day for centuries if it meant her girls were happy. Luckily for her, she didn't have to. At least not while Theodora was around.
Cassandra rolled her eyes at the pair. "You did, and Bela is waiting in the library."
"It appears the little gremlins need my council." Theo let Daniela go and hopped off of the counter. She turned to Alcina before bowing. "Until next time, My Lady."
Daniela let out a gag. Cassandra rolled her eyes again. "Alright Romeo, let's go!" The girls swarmed around her. Reaching out, each of them took one of her arms under their own.
"Hey, wait-" Before she could finish, the girls flew out of the kitchen, dragging Theo behind them. Alcina couldn't hold her laughter at the other's misfortune.
The girls let go of Theo once they entered the library. They reformed on either side of Bela. She sat on one of the couches, book in her hand. Theo couldn't help but notice how much she reminded her of Alcina. Bela closed her book and stood. She pointed a finger at Theodora. "You said you'd play hide and hunt with us today."
'Hide and hunt' had been a game she and the girls had created shortly after arriving. The rules were easy enough. One person was responsible to be the 'hunter' and the others were the 'prey'. Anyone dubbed prey would have three minutes to find a hiding spot. Once the hunter was set loose, they had the option to either continue hiding, or risk sneaking out and being on the run. The hunter's job consisted of finding and 'tagging' their prey.
"Alright. But first!" Theo pulled a bag out from behind one of the bookshelves. She held it up to the girls. "I got you guys something!"
The three looked at each other then back to the redhead. "You got us gifts?"
That wasn't the reaction she had been expecting. "Uh, yeah?"
Daniela's eyes lit up. "Can we have them?"
"Naturally." Theo said. She pulled a wrapped gift, handing it over to Bela. "Bels, this is for you."
Bela took the package and gently pulled back the wrapping paper. Inside, sat three books, neatly tied together. "You found them!"
A few weeks back Bela had mentioned something about finishing the last book in her favorite series. After a little bit of research, Theo managed to find out that there were more than what the girl already had. "I did. I also found out there are three more already published. The others are already ordered. They'll be here in a few weeks."
Theo pulled out another present, handing it over to Cassandra. "Cas."
Unlike her sister, Cassandra unwrapped hers with speed. Shreds of paper flew from her hands, floating down through the air. Inside a small box sat a small wooden box. Pulling off the top, Cassandra gasped. A sharpening stone sat embedded into the wood. "Yes! I lost my other one. This is great! I can't wait to test this out tonight."
Theo handed the last gift to Daniela. "Dani."
Daniela opened her gift much like Cassandra, but with more shreds of paper. A wooden box with intricate designs sat in her hand. Slowly, she pulled off the top. A collection of various markers and pencils sat.
"You know I like to draw?" Theo nodded. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"
Theo clapped her hands together. "Alright, gifts are out of the way. You've got three minutes to hide." Like a bolt of lightning, two of the girls were gone. The eldest remained, staring at the books thoughtfully.
"Hey, you good?"
Bela blinked a few times. "Yeah, I was just thinking."
Theo knew something bothered the blonde. Any time something bothered her, Bela would get quiet. She would hide away in the library for a while. Normally, Alcina was the one to go and comfort her oldest, however she wasn't here. "Anything you want to talk about?"
Bela hesitated shook her head, then nodded. "I heard Mother say that the Lords are coming tonight."
"Yeah. They're all meeting here tonight." Theo explained. It didn't seem too out of the ordinary that they were getting together. From what Theo had learned, all the Lords would gather one a month to discuss whatever it was they did.
Bela played with the hem of her cloak as she stared at the ground. "W-will you be here?"
"Of course." She assured. "Is there a reason you ask?"
"No..."
Bela felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she stared into Theo's patient eyes. "Bela, I may not be your mother. But please believe me when I say you can trust me."
"I don't trust Mother Miranda."